What Keeps Him Going
by Invader Kathy Starsky
Summary: Slight AU to Planes: Fire & Rescue. Warning:Slash


_Planes _and _Planes: Fire & Rescue_ belong to Disney and Pixar. I just own Zephyr (OC)

Warning: AU, slash, injuries, kissing, and angst.

Pairings: Dustyx(Male) OC and past BladexNick; past DustyxIshani

What Keeps Him Going

Crystal blue eyes stared listlessly at the radio before narrowing at the communications device as though it was mocking him. An exasperated sigh left the lips of the eyes' owner. Zephyr Stormglide was a small FG model-like plane with a deep sapphire blue paint job with whitish silver flames that had a pale lavender outline. It had been several hours since he and his friends had alerted his lover, Dusty Crophopper, that they had failed to find a replacement for the racer's gear box. The sleek, young plane could recall the vast disappointment and sorrow in the former crop duster's voice when they told him the news.

The only other time he had heard the orange plane's voice sound so broken was when he and Ishani went their separate ways. It's not that the Indian plane didn't love Dusty. Quite the opposite actually. She adored his selfless, determined, and kind attitude. Not to mention the skill and focus he had that made him the first ever non- air racing model to win the Wings Across the Globe. Unfortunately, it did nothing to impress the Pan-Asian champion's now deceased father, who had betrothed her to a close and rich friend's son. Ishani, not wanting to dishonor her father, and Dusty, being the caring and understanding plane that he was, had ended their relationship as gently as they could.

It was through the engagement party did Dusty meet Zephyr. A week later, after several phone conversations and café meetings, the two realized their mutual attraction for each other and began dating. The only ones who knew were Zephyr's family (who were able to keep it a secret from their neighbors and friends), Skipper, Dottie, Chug, Sparky, Mayday, and a few of Dusty's fellow racers (who also kept their lips sealed from the press). The dating soon became a full-fledged relationship. Everything was going so well for the two planes.

That was until the gearbox problem came along.

This then led to the fire (which in, Zephyr's opinion, wouldn't have happened if Leadbottom hadn't angered Dusty with the idea of once again becoming a crop duster) and resulted in Dusty choosing to go get trained in order to become a certified firefighter. Zephyr wanted so badly to accompany his lover but the orange plane had firmly but gently refused the idea, not only because he felt as though he had to do this alone but because he didn't want the sapphire-colored plane to get in harm's way. Now he was regretting obeying his air racer lover.

How Zephyr wished he was with his mate right now, comforting him and nuzzling him. Many times, he contemplated calling Dusty but feared embarrassing his lover with his pity or becoming the receiving end of his frustrations. This had never happened before but there was always a first time for everything. Deciding to call his lover tomorrow, the sapphire plane turned away and started moving towards the exit.

That's when the radio buzzed.

Zephyr swiftly twisted around and pressed the button to receive the message. Was it Dusty? He hoped so. What would the reason for the call be? Was something wrong?

'_Whatever the reason may be, I just want to hear his voice,'_ Zephyr thought wistfully before speaking into the microphone.

"Dusty?" longing and anxiety mixed in the sapphire plane's voice.

"This is Blade Ranger calling in from Piston Peak National Park. Is Mayday there?" inquired an older and gruffer sounding male voice.

Zephyr blushed and cursed himself for his paranoia and over-eagerness. Taking a deep breath, he spoke in a more calmer tone, "I'm sorry, Mayday isn't here. Would you like to talk to me?"

"I would prefer if you could go get Mayday for me. This is pretty serious…It's about Dusty," the last part spoken in a grave, solemn tone that was practically whispered.

Zephyr swore his engine nearly stopped as he heard that part. The fear that had been leaving his mind had returned with a vengeance.

"W-what happened?" the sapphire plane croaked out, barely keeping his voice steady.

"I think you should go fetch Mayday first," Blade said over the radio in an even tone, trying to keep the plane calm. It did nothing.

"I want to know what happened now. Dusty's my…friend too," Zephyr voice was firm but a bit awkward when he mentioned the 'friend' part. He wasn't sure if Dusty had informed this Blade Ranger of their relationship. He didn't want to risk indirectly informing this vehicle if Dusty hadn't.

"I really would prefer you alerting Mayday this-," Blade's calm attempt to get Zephyr to cooperate was swiftly put to a halt.

"Oh no. You sir, are not getting Mayday until you tell me what's going. You can beg and threaten me with everything you got but I am NOT getting Mayday unless you tell me what has happened to Dusty this instant!" Zephyr was surprised with himself. He had never raised his voice to anyone, no matter how mad he was. There was a long silent pause. For a minute, the sapphire plane feared that the other had hanged up. Then he heard a defeated sigh before Blade spoke again.

"There was a huge wildfire a few hours ago. Countless park visitors were in danger and we were low on fire retardant and water. Dusty managed to help us save all the visitors but then…his gearbox failed and he crashed. He was still alive when we got him but he's in pretty bad shape right. Now I would very much appreciate it if you go fetch Mayday and the rest of your friends so that they can hear what I told you, please."

But Zephyr never heard that last part as he was already out of the room, his mind only focused and being where his injured lover was waiting for him.

_Two days later…._

Zephyr had never flown so fast in his life. Not long after Blade had told him what happened to Dusty, Zephyr had bolted to his home, picked up what he needed, alerted the others, and taken off with barely a proper goodbye. He knew they would all still be somewhat upset when he came back but in that one moment, Zephyr didn't care. All that mattered was Dusty.

_Please,_ Zephyr silently begged to any higher power that existed, _Let him be alright. Let him be alive. Don't take him away. If you let him stay, I'll settle down with him. _That though shocked Zephyr but he kept going. _We'll tell the world about our relationship. We'll get married in public, no matter who tries to discourage us. We'll have kids. Adoption or by surrogate, I don't care. Just leave him here with me. _

When his vision started to slightly blur, Zephyr realized he was crying. The blue jet was tempted to let the tears spill out but thought better of it and blinked them away fiercely. It wouldn't help Dusty one bit if Zephyr himself got injured due to a crash caused by his blinding tears.

It was not long before Zephyr came across Piston Peak National Park. His jaw dropped as he caught sight of the scorched forest. Blackened remains were scattered in large patches of the woodland with only small hints of dark green poking out. The trees that weren't completely burnt to black ashes had blackened branches and leaves, a few even falling without anything to provoke their end.

Zephyr couldn't help the horrified gasp as he saw that the wooden booth passage that tourists would pass through was crushed and burnt under a large fallen pine. He also noticed, in confusion and shock, that a large ritzy looking cabin sitting perfectly unharmed near the woods. It looked as though the fire had completely avoided the over-sized wooded building all together. This for some reason angered Zephyr. Why should this totally out-of-place, snooty-looking cottage be standing absolutely unscathed while his Dusty was lying around possibly dying?!

Huffing, Zephyr continued his quest. He soon came upon the Piston Peak Air Attack Base and Fire Department. He was surprised by how cozy it looked. But there no was no time for relaxing thoughts. He landed in the middle of the group of hangars. All seemed quiet and empty. There was no sign of these firefighters.

_Must be out fighting fires,_ Zephyr thought logically. Strolling around, Zephyr saw something that made him freeze. A bright yellow, female SuperScooper plane with bright emerald-colored eyes stared worriedly into the open doors of a small mechanic building. Zephyr slowly strolled towards the doors, the SuperScooper not even realizing his presence. What Zephyr saw made him scream in horror and despair.

Dusty, HIS Dusty, was on a small make-shift lift, unconscious. But that's not what made him scream. One of Dusty's wings were torn off, the severed wing lying a few feet away. Ash, soot, and scorched marks covered a good portion of Dusty's body which didn't hide the dents and gashes. The only thing that signaled the blue jet that Dusty was alive was the slight movement of the orange plane's mouth as he breathed.

Zephyr was so shocked that he didn't notice the small grey and blue forklift that had been staring at him since he screamed.

Normally if someone frightened Maru, thereby distracting him from his work, he would just yell at them and demand peace and quiet before returning to what he was doing. But the look of utter dismay and grief on Zephyr's face stopped whatever he was going to say.

Dipper stared in shock at the blue jet. She hadn't even realized he was there until she heard him scream. A few minutes later, the whole crew surrounded the surprise visitor. A few looked wary while others looked surprised or concerned.

Dynamit was the first to speak up, "Hey, you okay sugar?"

It was a rare thing for the leader of the Smokejumpers to show such gentleness. It was usually reserved for the elderly or very young. No one dared question her usage of her 'sweet side.' It took a few minutes for Zephyr to respond.

"D-Dusty…," Zephyr managed to choke out. The crew was surprised that the blue jet new their injured teammate's name. Blade Ranger, who had just arrived as Zephyr spoke, knew instantly who the blue jet was.

"You're the one who answered the radio when I tried to contact Mayday, aren't you?" Blade inquired knowledgably.

Zephyr nodded firmly, "Yes. I'm Zephyr Stormglide."

Cabbie was the next to speak, "We're sorry Zephyr, but the park is being cleaned up right now and-"

Zephyr immediately broke into please that made Cabbie regret his words, "NO! Please don't make me leave! I flew all the way here to make sure Dusty is still alive! I can't leave now! I HAVE to be here when he wakes up! Please let me stay! I'll do anything! I'll help you clean up as best as I can! Please!"

The whole Fire and Rescue Team felt lumps develop in the back of their throats. It seemed to them that the blue jet was a devoted friend who had flown all this way to reunite with Dusty. It was only Blade and Maru who saw and knew it was more than that.

After a long stretch of silence, Blade spoke up once more, "Alright, everybody back to work. Zephyr, would you like to get a can of oil with me?"

Zephyr was surprised but nodded politely. As he turned to follow the emergency helicopter, he cast one more glance at Dusty. _I'll be back soon. I promise. _

_A few minutes later…._

"So," Blade began, "How long have you known Dusty?"

Zephyr took a sip of his oil before responding, "Almost a year."

Blade nodded. A minute of silence. Then he asked the 'personal question', "And how long have you two been dating?"

If Zephyr had been drinking oil at that moment, he would have spat it out in shock. A few seconds passed before Zephyr replied, "A couple of months. But how did you know?"

Blades replied, "Dusty mentioned to me and a few others he had someone waiting for him at home. And when I heard you beg I knew you were that someone."

Zephyr's gaze fell to the ground, "You…you won't tell will you?"

Blade smiled gently and said, "It's not my place to blurt out who's dating who and whatnot. Besides, by how devoted you are coming down here just to be near Dusty in his condition, I'd say Dusty chose a good partner."

Zephyr blushed at the compliment, "Thank you."

Another moment of silence took place before the blue jet asked quietly, "How….how did the fire start? The one that caused Dusty to push his gearbox."

Zephyr was surprised by the angry look in Blade's eyes, though it was not directed at him, as Blade spoke, "Our recently demoted park superintendent, Cad Spinner, had refused to evacuate the tourists in time and my team had to go out and help them. If that wasn't enough, Cad diverted our water supply to the lodge's roof-sprinklers which kept us from making more fire retardant. Two RV tourists were trapped on the bridge near the waterfall and they would've died if Dusty hadn't pushed his gearbox, scooped water from the water fall and put out the fire so they could drive off the bridge before it collapsed."

When Blade finished was done explaining, Zephyr too had a look of anger on his face as he growled out, "So this Cad guy is the reason my boyfriend is lying unconscious and injured. All for his lodge."

Blade gave Zephyr a soft look before replying, "Yes, but I assure you that Cad is being punished for his wrong doings. And….I know what it's like to love and to lose or almost lose the one who you love."

This caught Zephyr's attention as his angry look melted away and was replaced with a curious, inquiring look.

Blade continued, "Before I became a firefighter, my lover, Nick, and I worked as actors for a law-enforcement show. He and I were buddies on camera, but soulmates behind closed doors. Then one day that was all stolen away from me. Nick was practicing some stunts when a crosswind came and he had an accident. I….I couldn't save my lover. The day I quit I signed up to train to get my certification. I lost the love of my life that day, I wasn't about to let others experience the same pain."

By this time, Zephyr felt a great amount of sympathy and respect for the old helicopter. What it must have been like to lose the one you thought you would spend your life with and then try to push away the pain as you train to keep others from going through the same terrible ordeal.

Zephyr snapped out of his thoughts as Blade spoke again, "Follow me. I'll show you where you'll be staying."

_Three days later…_

Zephyr stood beside Dipper as they watch Maru repair what was left of Dusty's injuries. In the three days Zephyr stayed at the park, he had become well acquainted with the other members of the team, mostly Blade, Maru, and Windlifter. The blue jet had barely used the hangar Blade had offered to let him stay in, preferring instead to stand watch with Dipper as Maru attended to the injured crop duster turned racer. Zephyr couldn't deny that Maru was a pro at his job. Dusty had gone from looking like he was near death to looking practically brand new.

Before Zephyr could start thinking about what to put in his 'Thank You' basket to Maru, he heard a groan. Everything seemed to fall silent, well more silent than before, as he watched Dusty groan again before the orange plane open his eyes.

After Maru giddily whispered 'Hi' to Dusty, the forklift called everyone in. The moment Dusty's eyes were fully opened they landed on Zephyr. Nothing could compare to the pure joy the two flyers felt as their blue eyes locked on one another. Even when Maru announced that he completely fixed Dusty's gearbox.

As the Fire and Rescue squad continued to chat happily, Blade and Maru saw the Zephyr and Dusty's stares turn from love to desire. Maru winked at Blade as he began to shoo the others away.

"Okay guys," Maru said, "Let's leave Dusty to get reacquainted with Zephyr."

Dipper attempted to protest but a firm 'don't argue with me' look from Blade had her hurrying along. A minute later, the two lovers were alone.

"Well this is an unexpected, wake up surprise," Dusty chuckled, "Not that I'm complaining."

Zephyr laughed and said in a mock threatening tone, "You better not. I flew for two straight days and had to wait three more."

The two chuckled before Zephyr said seriously, "But really I was scared." His lip began to quiver as he continued, "I thought…..I thought you were gone…."

Dusty's eyes softened as he felt pang of guilt. He then crooned lovingly, "Zeph, come here."

Zephyr obeyed and strolled closer to his lover. Imagine his shock when Dusty planted a kiss on his lips. Zephyr's shock lasted for few seconds before he melted into the kiss. The kiss started out chaste, then they both grew more confident. Tongues fought for attention as they both grew more eager. Soon they just settled for exploring each other's mouths. The need to breath cut their bliss short. A link of oily saliva connected their mouths for a second before falling away.

After catching his breath Dusty began again, "I'm sorry for scaring you babe. But I promise I'll never you. You're the only thing that kept me going and will keep me going. Forever."

This time Zephyr didn't stop the tears from coming. This time they weren't from fear or grief but from bliss and adoration. Because, gearbox or not, he and Dusty would always be what keeps each other strong and going. And nothing could change that.


End file.
